Black female protagonists are often associated with an ethereal wisdom and a heightened ability for motherly protection and caretaking. Otherwise, portrayals utilize tropes such as the help, the mammy, or the petty criminal. Either way, the intelligence of the Black protagonist is mired or nonexistent. /underground is an original musical that revisits the “mob boss” archetype with a twist that emphasizes the intelligence of protagonist Maxine. Her needs come first—above politics, sex, men, and the law—and from the comfort of her high-end nightclub, /underground, Maxine runs a complex criminal organization that funds these needs. Her journey highlights the cross-generational perseverance of the Black mind while presenting the audience with a new outlook on what hyper-intelligence looks like in a Black woman protagonist taking the law into her own hands.